Editorial

Bottom-Of-The-Barrel Carolina Panthers Replace Departed Pass Rusher With Salty Vet Jadeveon Clowney

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Robert McGreevy Contributor
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The Carolina Panthers signed pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney to a two-year, $20 million deal Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The deal could be worth up to $24 million, Schefter noted.

Clowney, now 31-years-old, was once one of the most feared defenders in the NFL. But the three-time Pro Bowler’s performance took a dip after the team that drafted him, the Houston Texans, traded him to the Seattle Seahawks in 2019.

He spent the next few seasons bouncing around from Seattle to Tennessee to Cleveland before landing in Baltimore last season and experiencing a career resurgence with the Ravens. His nine-and-a-half sacks tied a career high, and he proved extremely effective in run defense as well.

Now, the South Carolina University alum will head back to the Carolinas to try to fill the void left by dominant edge rusher Brian Burns. The Panthers shipped Burns to the New York Giants on March 11, and New York handed Burns a five-year, $150 million contract with $87.5 million of it guaranteed.

Compared to Burns, Clowney looks like a bargain. (RELATED: Reporters Share Such A Weird Picture Of Top NFL Draft Prospect That It Leaves Us Wondering If It’s Even Real)

While Clowney is six years older and hasn’t been nearly the player Burns has been in recent years, he’s a good fit for an obviously-rebuilding franchise that just finished dead last in the league and won’t even get to pick in the first round because they traded their pick to grab fledgling QB Bryce Young.

Carolina’s 2024 season will be all about building around their young guys, but it won’t hurt to have a salty vet like Clowney hanging around for dudes to learn from. Plus, he may be on the back nine of his career, but he’s still the same guy that put fear into running backs’ hearts everywhere with this gruesome hit.